What is a good starting LSAT score?
Asked by: Jazmyn Bins Jr. | Last update: January 29, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (52 votes)
According to U.S. News, law school admissions experts recommend striving for at least a 150; however, for a top-ranking law school, you should aim for a 160 or better. For a Top 10 law school, a 170 or more is desired. Of course, this all depends on which schools you are applying to.
What is the average LSAT score for first time takers?
LSAT scores range from 120 to 180. First-time LSAT test-takers score an average of 151 out of 180. The median LSAT score of first-year JD students is 158.5. Among first-year JD students, 160.9 is considered a high score (75th percentile), and 154.8 is considered a low score (25th percentile)
Is a 172 a good LSAT score?
A 172 is in the 98th percentile of the test. You should be very proud of that achievement. Don't let the noise get to you I'm sure you'll go to a great law school.
What is the average first LSAT score without studying?
Average LSAT Score Without Studying
You can expect to score between 145 and 153 when taking the LSAT without studying. This would generally fall within the 26th to 53rd percentile. Your individual score will vary depending on your familiarity with aptitude, logical, and reading comprehension tests.
Is a 157 a good LSAT score?
From your raw scores, the test is graded on an LSAT score scale from 120-180. The average LSAT score is about 150. To get into a top 14 law school, you need to score above 166, and to get into a top 50 law school, you need 153 or above.
How to score in the 170s on the LSAT.
How rare is a 170 LSAT?
170 score: Scoring a 170 on the LSAT is almost always considered a good score — that means you are in the 2-3% of test-takers.
Can I get into law school with a 158 LSAT?
Part 5: What LSAT score do I need to get into law school, period? As mentioned above, the average LSAT score nationally is a 152. Generally speaking, a score of 160 and above is necessary to guarantee admission into top-100 schools like Tulane, UC Hastings, or Case Western Reserve.
What is a poor LSAT score?
A 144-145 is generally considered to be the lowest acceptable score to attend law school. The median LSAT score is around 151-152, so 144-145 is significantly lower than this. As such, the majority of law schools will not accept scores below this.
How hard is the LSAT really?
This process is not only time-consuming but can be very expensive as well. So yes, the LSAT is hard, and it is designed that way. It's not so much a test that requires a student to remember random facts, but instead, it is a test that showcases a student's thought process.
Do law schools care about your first LSAT score?
Law schools do not average the scores for admission, but we always look at performance if you've taken the test more than once. Ideally, it would be best if every applicant could secure their ideal LSAT score on the first attempt, but that is often not the case. Law schools will report the highest LSAT score.
How rare is a 175 LSAT?
For a top five law school, an LSAT score of 175 and above increases your chances of being admitted and being awarded a full scholarship by the school. Such a score also puts you in the 99th percentile of LSAT takers, making you a rare and highly coveted law school candidate.
What did Elle Woods get on her LSAT?
Elle Woods, a fictional character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, is known for her remarkable LSAT score—179 out of 180. Portrayed as a stereotypical "valley girl," she embarks on a journey to Harvard Law School in the movie that has since become a cult favorite.
How bad is a 155 on the LSAT?
An LSAT score below 160 is not competitive for admission to the top law schools, and it's not competitive for scholarships to law schools with decent employment prospects.” At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, “One number does not define me.” And you're right.
How rare is a 160 on the LSAT?
A student scoring a 180 is in the 99.9 percentile because the student scored better than 99.9% of test-takers. A student scoring a 160 is in the 74.8 percentile because the student scored better than 74.8% of test-takers. You can hover over the blue outline to see a tooltip for all each LSAT/percentile combinations.
Will a 180 LSAT get you in anywhere?
You can apply to pretty much anywhere with confidence.
The following table shows the schools with a median LSAT score in the 173-180 range for admitted full-time student populations as of Fall 2024. These programs are at the very top of the law school world, hence their LSAT scores being so high.
What is a realistic LSAT score?
The LSAT percentile score range demonstrates your score relative to other test-takers over the past three years. According to the Law School Admission Council, which administers the test, the median score for the 2021-24 testing years was 153, meaning 50% of test-takers scored below and 50% scored above that number.
Is the LSAT harder than the bar?
Generally, the bar exam is considered harder than the LSAT. The LSAT tests logical reasoning and reading comprehension for law school admission, while the bar exam requires extensive legal knowledge and practical skills to obtain a license to practice law.
What LSAT score do I need for Harvard?
So let's take a look at what it actually takes to have a chance of being admitted to the most prestigious and preeminent law school in the world. As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School.
What is the hardest month to take the LSAT?
There isn't one specific month that is the easiest or hardest to write the LSAT, and if there was, it would change each year since the students writing the LSAT change each year! The hardest test will be the one you haven't fully prepared for, regardless of the month!
What is the most common flaw on the LSAT?
Confusing sufficient and necessary conditions is hands-down the most common flaw on the LSAT. It's also the flaw that tends to trip up novices the most. But understanding the difference between sufficient and necessary is a lot simpler than you might think.
Should I cancel my 148 LSAT score?
Remember, just because you feel you did poorly on the test does not necessarily mean you did. Some people may come out of the test feeling nervous or unhappy with how they did but end up scoring very well. You should only seriously consider canceling an LSAT score if you feel like you completely flunked the exam.
What is a good LSAT score without studying?
Interestingly enough, according to an independent research done by Test Prep Insight, the scores that students get without studying for the LSAT range between 145 and 153. A 151 on the LSAT puts you in the 50th percentile.
Has anyone gotten a 180 on the LSAT?
The LSAT is scored on a bell curve, ranging from 120 to 180. On recent tests, the hump of the curve has centered around 153. Percentiles vary slightly between tests, but generally around 25% of test-takers score 160 or higher, 5% score 170 or higher, and 1% score 175 or higher. Only one in 1,000 test-takers scores 180.
Do law schools care more about GPA or LSAT?
There are two major reasons that law schools prioritize the LSAT. The first is arguably for legitimate educational purposes. Not all undergraduate majors feature the same level of intellectual rigor, and undergraduate institutions also offer a wide variety of instructional quality.